Feel the Burn

Austin's hottest new fitness studios for a killer workout

The Barre Code is the latest addition to Austin's flourishing barre scene.

Summer may be coming to a close, but fewer days spent on boats or poolside lounge chairs doesn't mean you should stop working on your fit bod. Austin is known as one of the fittest cities in Texas (and the country), so there's never a shortage of new fitness studios to try in town.

Here are four of the newest, most promising studios you should check out:

The Barre Code
The Barre Code is the latest addition to Austin's already flourishing barre studio scene. Based in Chicago, the studio has expanded to locations across the country, promising cardio, strength training, and restoration for women. And this isn't your average barre studio — the cardio classes combine high-intensity interval training with kickboxing, dance, and plyometrics for an intense workout. If cardio's not your thing, try the Burn class, which is your typical barre class with a seriously sweaty twist — a 95-degree room.

After those classes, you'll obviously need a rest day to nurse your sore muscles, so the restoration classes are the way to go. A brief 30-minute Barre Stretch class will leave you feeling lengthened and strengthened, or you can go a yoga-like route with the Barreyasa class, which combines stretching and yoga Vinyasa flows.

2300 S. Lamar Blvd.; $20 per class/class packages offered

The Lab
Just like its scientific-sounding name, fitness is serious business at The Lab. This gym promises a unique, inspiring experience for each one of its users, with fitness routines based around what you — and your body — need. There are four different methods to choose from: Grind, Shift, Transform, and Flow. Grind is based mostly around strength training, while Shift, Transform, and Flow are variations on traditional cycling, barre/Pilates, and yoga practices, respectively. You can combine your methods or pick which ones best suit you for a tailored fitness experience; classes at The Lab are friendly for beginners and pros alike.

The best part of working out at The Lab could be the Honest Bar, a juice and smoothie bar with grab-and-go snacks for post-class nourishment. The ingredients are super fresh and exactly what you need after burning a crazy amount of calories.

110 San Antonio St. Ste. 160; $28 per class/class packages offered

Orangetheory Fitness
You may have seen a bunch of orange bikes around town the last several months. No, it's not a PSA — it's an advertisement for Orangetheory Fitness. Orangetheory's philosophy is based around high-intensity interval training, indoor rowing, and weight training blocks. The 60-minute workouts are designed to push you into the "orange zone," which they say helps you burn calories quicker thanks to the way your body consumes oxygen in the minutes following your exercise. It all sounds very fancy and scientific, but underneath all the frills, Orangetheory is truly just a good, hard workout with trainers who push you to your limits.

After a few weeks of classes at Orangetheory, you'll see results when it comes to muscle endurance and strength, and you'll be glad that Texas summers last well into fall, because you'll want to show off your guns for as long as possible.

Various locations across Austin, Round Rock, and Leander; three tiers of memberships/class packages offered

Blackbird Fitness and Nutrition
While the first three studios listed here have more tailored fitness regimes, Blackbird Fitness and Nutrition is Austin's latest no-frills, all-business gym. But don't get us wrong, the workouts are still wonderfully intense. It offers personal training, nutrition coaching, and group classes for a well-rounded fitness routine. Base your personal training goals around weight loss, lean body mass, or just overall fitness, and one of the gym's personal trainers will help you meet your goals.

And have you ever heard the saying abs are made in the kitchen not the gym? Blackbird trainers will help you learn what you should put into your body and what you should avoid. Round that off with boot camp, cardio, yoga, Tabata, and core-strengthening classes, and you'll be buying new jeans by Christmas.

2400 E. Cesar Chavez St. Ste. 316A; $12 per class/class packages offered/personal training and nutrition coaching priced individually

fitness

Study This

Austin is the No. 7 most educated city in the country, says Forbes

Photo by Dan Dennis on Unsplash

UT Austin gets a lot of praise, but this study includes degrees from everywhere — as long as the recipient lives in Texas.

Austin and San Antonio don't get all the same opportunities as the even larger cities in Texas, but in a recent study they prove they're prepared. Both made the top 10 in Forbes Advisor's "Most Educated Cities In The U.S." list: San Antonio was No. 4, and Austin was No. 7.

Other Texas cities made the list of 100, but some fell surprisingly far behind. Dallas made No. 20, followed by Houston at No. 79 and Fort Worth at No. 93. In some even more surprising twists, the smaller city of Garland was the fourth in Texas at No. 26, and El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Laredo all beat Houston.

This study compared the 100 largest cities in the country as of the 2021 census, using metrics like high school dropout rate, percentage of adults age 25 and older with some college, but no degree, undergraduate college completion rate, and percentage of adults age 25 and older with an advanced degree. There were also some lower-weighted metrics about equity, studying racial and gender college completion gaps.

Although many education studies fall into praising the University of Texas, this one considers education as a whole — while still mentioning the university once.

In San Antonio, the bachelor’s completion rate for people 25 and up was 67.30 percent, and 29.56 percent of people in that age group have advanced degrees. The study doesn't have much to say about educational opportunities in the city, focusing instead of its tourist potential. But it did note that the city had one of the smallest racial gaps for higher ed, which was only -5.49 percent. Its gender gap was 0.97 percent, and its high school dropout rate was 4.53 percent.

San Antonio's Trinity University did great in a Niche study that came out in early September. It was the No. 18 best small college in America, and topped the list entirely in Texas. Among bigger fish, it was also the No. 20 best liberal arts college in the country (and again the best in Texas), and made No. 4 in general for best colleges in Texas.

In Austin, 59.89 of people 25 or older completed Bachelor's degrees, and 22.76 percent completed advanced degrees. The racial gap was much worse at -10.87 percent. Its gender gap was a bit less than San Antonio's, at 0.69 percent, and its high school dropout rate was more at 7.56 percent.

Of course, this is where the study mentions UT, which is based in Austin. It made WalletHub's 2024 ranking of the best colleges and universities in Texas and earned the No. 2 spot; clinched the No. 6 spot in Niche's ranking of the best public universities in the country; and earned No. 2 in a list of best undergraduate programs for entrepreneurs by the Princeton Review, among other accolades.

Just breaking into the top 20, Dallas' Bachelor's degree completion rate was 57.05 percent, with 21.37 percent attaining advanced degrees. The racial and gender gaps were −14.99 percent and 1.64 percent, respectively. Much further down the list, Houston's Bachelor's degree completion rate was only 32.99 percent, and only 10.97% achieved advanced degrees. High school dropouts were at 8.90 percent, and the racial and gender gaps were −4.99 and 2.10 percent respectively.

Here are all the Texas cities on the list of 100, in order from most to least educated:

4. San Antonio
7. Austin
20. Dallas
26. Garland
49. El Paso
59. Corpus Christi
76. Laredo
79. Houston
81. Arlington
83. Irving

More information on the study by Forbes advisor, including full city rankings and expanded methodology, is available at forbes.com.

education universities